Posts Tagged ‘Mixed Martial Arts’

I’ve just came across some great info on another scandal from the main owner of the American Top Team, Mr. Daniel Lambert. I typed Daniel Lambert Ramada on google…
After reviewing in the Sun Biz Report on the American Top Team, I found out that there are 4 owners in The American Top Team.

First of all, I want to apologize to anyone who has been scammed by these ‘people’. The reason I apologize is because for 3 LONG months I was an employee of this company at their verification office in Ft. Lauderdale.

I was not one of the sleaze ball sales people, nor could I have been. I was one of the people that read the never ending script describing the package you had bought. We were trained to stick to the script and to try and not give any other information if possible. We were not supposed to offer advice, information, or any other form of customer support as that was not our job, even though we were your last chance to ‘escape’. Even though you had already given your credit card number to the ‘salesperson’ and it had been already been charged, it was our job to get you on tape (actually a computer file) so that you could not later say you didn’t authorize the charge.

Even as I was being trained for the job I felt that this wasn’t a ‘honest’ company, but tried to convince myself it was a ‘buyer beware’ business and that all I was doing was giving the customer what had been promised. During my training period I was taught EXACTLY how to respond to questions, and what NOT to say. Much of it also involved the ‘good enough’ answer, which wasn’t a lie, but wasn’t the whole truth either. Also, we were taught words which can be vague in their meaning depending upon who is saying it or doing it.

Another part of our training also involved listening to calls to see how it was done. This was when I knew I was just this side of a scam artist. The way people were treated by the ‘salespeople’ disgusted me. The way in which the package was presented let me know I was ‘verifying’ a ‘scam’. And, of couse, we weren’t so much as to utter the word ‘time-share’ EVER, not even amongst ourselves. (There were many times I’m sure I sounded like a total moron as I tried to find a way to tell you this was a ‘tour’.)

As I continued my job and learned the scripts, which we weren’t suppose to do (???????), I soon realized that we weren’t screwing anybody out of anything, we were screwing them INTO something. Day after day, I left work feeling like I had just cleaned a septic tank by hand, but tried to convince myself that at least I wasn’t one of the ‘salespeople’ that I heard harass, berate, and belittle our ‘customers’. I heard elderly people being talked into buying packages, when it was clear they really didn’t even understand what they were buying. I heard newlywed’s being screwed out of a beautiful honeymoon and into a beautiful reason for a divorce; college students on their own with credit for the first time, being ‘sold’ into the credit trap so many of us have gotten into in our lives; and despondent people (due to death of a loved one, marriage breakups, etc) being given one more reason to be despondent. There were calls where people gave their checking account numbers in addition to their credit card number (with the 3 digit security code I might add) to pay for the deposits. Some people used 3 or 4 credit cards to find enough money to do this because otherwise RPR would ‘have to give the package someone else’. And God forbid if you should try to back out of the deal after you had agreed to it. These ‘salespeople’ acted like you had just insulted their whole family and they were going to ‘hunt you down’.

At this point, your probably wondering why the hell would I stay at such a place. To be honest with you, I wasn’t going to stay. I wanted to run like hell, but I was a point in my life where I had very little opportunity to do anything else; the jobs which I was eligible for weren’t available to me at the time, and I was scared. I have a family, had been out of work for weeks, and the thought of NOT taking the job was scarier than taking it was. Many of the people who worked there were in a similar situation to what I was. Some were young mothers who needed work or the extra job to take care of their families, many without anyone else to help them. Some were people who had no other education and were fighting to survive without doing something ‘illegal’. Some were just getting back on their feet after years of abusive lives. Most of us were just good people fighting to make ends meet. And you could tell ‘they’ knew it too. The wages sucked, the hours were worse, and the way we were treated was at best like a dog that no one wanted. If by chance you tried to think for yourself, you were reminded to read the rulebook, and then asked to please check your brain at the door on the way in. Problems were handled with the ‘Don’t let the door hit ya where nature split ya’ mentality. We even had a dress code to ‘look more professional’ (to who??? nobody ever saw us or came in ; can you say Control Freaks)

I know this doesn’t let me or any of the others off the hook, but in some small way, that’s why I’m here sending this to you today. It’s seems to be the only way I’ll ever be able to let go of the resentments I have towards myself and RPR. I’m still somewhat in fear today to even be telling you any of this (I’m still afraid to give my real name) because as part of working there, we had to sign a ‘confidentiality’ contract which said we would not release any of the company’s information. However, at this point, it feels more like I signed a ‘won’t tell on us’ contract. I’m sure if they had anything to gain from it, they would come after me with their high priced schiesters, I mean lawyers, and try to sue my ass off.

There are many things I have not said here to avoid crossing that ‘illegal disbursement of company information’ bullshit, that it almost feels like I’ve said nothing at all. So at this point, I guess all I can offer is my deepest apology to anyone who has been taken by these ‘people’, and offer any assistance that may be of use in making sure that a company like this gets what it, and others like it, ‘deserve’. (I’m sorry about all the quotes, but they ‘trained’ me ‘well’ in the use of words.)

SEATTLE – February 4, 1999 – Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire and six other states filed suit today against two Florida travel companies, their owners, and “lifestyles of the rich and famous” pitchman Robin Leach, alleging they mislead unsuspecting consumers into believing they had won or were entitled to the vacation of their dreams.

“Champagne wishes and caviar dreams turned into bitter regrets and vacation nightmares for consumers responding to this come-on,” said Attorney General Christine Gregoire. “There was nothing free or fabulous in this offer.”

The suit alleges the defendants used Leach’s “celebrity endorsement” to convince consumers they had won or were entitled to a luxury Florida vacation and cruise to the Bahamas. Consumers soon found they had won nothing except an opportunity to pay as much as $1,000 for a seven-day Florida vacation and a bonus Bahamas’ cruise which was actually a one-day ferry ride and a game of “Las Vegas style” bingo.

“Mr. Leach used his public persona to deceive consumers,” said Gregoire. “Like any other celebrity who sells his or her name and image, Mr. Leach must be held accountable for making false promises.”

Other defendants named in the suit are Ramada Plaza Resorts and National Travel

Services (NTS) of Fort Lauderdale, and their owners James H. Verillo and Daniel Lambert.

Washington consumers received travel certificates featuring Leach’s picture and the message: “Robin Leach says Pack Your Bags!” As a condition of the trip, the certificates failed to disclose that consumers would be required to attend lengthy timeshare presentations. Consumers who purchased the trip also received a video hosted by Leach in which he repeatedly described the vacation as “world class” and “an experience you’ll never forget.”

More than 25 Washington consumers filed complaints about the companies’ sales practices. Consumers in other states who did take the offered trips reported they were subjected to “hard-sell” timeshare presentations of up to five hours. They also found their “world-class” accommodations to be substandard.

Washington’s suit was filed in King County Superior Court and alleges violations of several state consumer protection laws. Other states filing suit include Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

SUSPECTED TRAFFICKERS BUSTED: DEA agents busted a ring of suspected drug traffickers Friday. More than 70,000 tablets of the party drug Ecstasy and $500,000 in assets were seized. Marcus ‘Conan’ Silveira, who participated in amateur fighting competitions, was arrested. NURI VALLBONA/HERALD STAFF

Federal agents on Friday arrested 15 people who they said were members of a smuggling ring that imported one million pills of the party drug Ecstasy into Miami from Spain between Nov. 2000 and July 2001.

The defendants, who include a Brazilian amateur fighter, a bail bondsman and a man who was expecting to finalize his U.S. citizenship when he was arrested Friday, were among 19 named in a federal indictment that was unsealed Friday. Authorities expect two more defendants to surrender. Two remain at large.

Joe Kilmer, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent, said the Miami Beach-based smuggling ring was a major supplier of Ecstasy, a pyschoactive drug with stimulant and hallucinogenic qualities that is known for making people feel warm and friendly.

”The agents feel like they identified an extremely close-knit and well-run organization,” Kilmer said. “To move one million pills is a lot. To move one million pills two years ago in less than a year is major.”

The case, dubbed Operation Spanish Fly, began in May 2001 when U.S. marshals arrested Eduardo Triana, 31, in Kendall for allegedly failing to appear in a 1998 DEA cocaine case out of Tampa and found 4,000 tablets of Ecstasy. Triana is serving 6 ½ years in prison.

Two months later, the marshals picked up another DEA fugitive and codefendant in the Tampa cocaine case, Edward J. Diaz, 33, at a Miami Beach condominium.

At Diaz’s condo, which turned out to be the hub of the Ecstasy ring, agents discovered ”quite detailed” ledgers that laid out the Ecstasy courier and distribution network, Kilmer said.

Diaz pleaded guilty June 13 but has not been sentenced.

DEA got help identifying the travel records of couriers identified in the ledgers from the old U.S. Customs Service.

The suspects, who are of Spanish, Brazilian and Cuban extraction, picked up the pills in Madrid, then smuggled them into the country using custom-made Neoprene body wraps secured to their ankles, thighs or torsos.

All of the people named in the indictment are charged with conspiracy to import Ecstasy, possession with intent to distribute Ecstasy and money laundering. They could each face up to 20 years in prison. All are from Miami-Dade or Broward County.

Among those arrested was Marcus Silveira, also known as ”Conan,” a six-foot three-inch, 242-pound amateur fighting participant. His Brazilian ju-jitsu style has earned him a record of 5-4-0, according to Sherdog.com, a Website that tracks mixed martial arts fighters.

Another defendant, Larry Hector Jimenez, was duped into coming to DEA headquarters by immigration officials, who told him he needed to sign papers finalizing his citizenship application. Instead of a naturalization ceremony, Jimenez was handcuffed.

All of the defendants will make appearances Monday in front of a federal magistrate.

Another American Top Team Scandal . Am I surprised? Ultimately not, after the Drug D scandal anything is expected from this fighting team.

They claim to be the best Mixed Martial Arts team but their lack of scrutiny might top that. Not only their Owners have been jailed for Drug Dealing but now one of their Franchise fighters and Owner Din Thomas have been arrested for ” Illegal Cage Fighting”.

Here is the report:Tuesday, October 30, 2007by Sherdog.com Staff

Din Thomas(Pictures) was arrested Tuesday in Port St. Lucie, Florida, for running in his local gym what a police spokesman called “illegal cage fighting” matches.

The TCPalm reported that Thomas faces a felony prohibited-competitions charge after police entered his training studio and watched two men fighting in an “octagon-shaped ring” before roughly 150 spectators.

“At the end of the day, he was having a professional mixed martial arts match that was not licensed through us,” Sam Farkas, a spokesman for Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, told the TCPalm. “It was a case of unlicensed activity.”

Sherdog.com confirmed the arrest with a representative of Thomas’ American Top Team camp. According to ATT, Thomas was in the process of posting a $10,000 bond to obtain his release from jail.
With so many good schools in the USA is hard to believe why someone would choose to join such schools, they lack morals, respect and most of all the Martial Arts principle.